Another free overnight camping area is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success.
Bulls Camp Reserve at Woodford in the Blue Mountains area of New South Wales has been earning rave reviews from travellers, and has become a magnet for grey nomads and backpackers.
However, the site is actually a Roads and Maritime Service rest area, rather than an approved camping ground, and travellers are supposed to stay for a maximum 24 hours … but many ignore the rule.
“The upsurge in longer term camping has created safety issues which council is seeking to address,” said a council spokeswoman. “Actions in the short term include providing clear signage on permitted use of the site, and enforcement if infringements occur.”
The site has two toilets as well as a free shower, also under review by council.
“The area is on a pump-out septic tank and the current costs are high,” the spokeswoman told the Blue Mountains Gazette newspaper.
Members of the local branch of the National Trust recently visited the site to ensure its growing popularity wasn’t harming heritage structures. They found the site intact, but they did notice tell-tale signs of human activity in the bush.
“While our interest was specifically in regard to heritage matters it was clear from our inspection of the bushland immediately surrounding the site that users are not confining their ablutions to the provided facilities,” branch president, Rod Stowe, told the Gazette.
Bulls Camp was built as a stockade in 1835 for the convicts working on the road. There is a flogging stone, reputedly where the convicts were beaten. The sandstone slab has grooves in it, which are said to have given the flogger a better foothold.
The National Trust branch has written to council’s general manager, offering help in compiling information for more signage.
A council spokeswoman responded, saying “interpretation of the heritage values of the site will be subject to availability of funding in future years”.
Yes we’ve drop in early one morning to use the bathroom and stretch our legs. The backpackers were washing their underwear and dishes in the toilets. It’s was a mess. Rubbish everywhere. People urinating everywhere. The smell was horrible.
This is a “high volume” rest area. In other words, a rest area on a major highway, The Great Western highway, the would see large numbers using the toilets. Other similar rest areas I have stopped at on my travels, have been the same. Smelly, toilet roll everywhere, when there is any. I also blame the responsible body for cleaning them.. Many only receive a once or twice weekly clean.. Leaves allot to be desired. While backpackers leave a bit to be desired, it’s been my experience that day trippers can be the worst.
Bull’s Camp is cleaned twice a day every day throughout the year. But it’s simply the sheer volume of people using it. Campers don’t just use toilet roll paper to wipe their pink bits. They use them as towels too and when they’ve finished using it they just throw it on the floor.
There nothing the council cleaners can do about that. The sanitary bins including the nappy bin are just full of ordinary rubbish. The local council will not put staff on there 24/7 to keep the place clean. It’s just too expensive. Many tourists have no idea how much everything costs including the labour and the council doesn’t have an endless line of credit.
All “this should be done or that should be done”. Fine if you want it done then you pay to have it done. Council cleaners don’t volunteer their services for tourists.
Yes this is very comon for back packers. They leave there mess every where in this country. They are a main reason for clousures of such rest and camp areas. One problem is that they don’t care. They also leave this country with a bag full of fines with out paying. There is also the great kids that come out here on a visa doing work that our bludgers should be doing. Simple solution is to link fines to there pasport and they can’t leave the country untillall are paid.
Don’t keep them here
What a wonderful idea to link their fines. I run a caravan park and see this all the time. We do not have the back packer fruit picker because they leave the amenities too dirty and they use copious amounts of water in the showers and hand washing instead of using the machines.
Just hit the all with a 250 dollar fine if they stay over the 24 hours very sad as we have been traveling around Australia and a lot of spots have been stopped because of this behavior P’s word gets around to backpackers they soon won’t stay long if they have to pay a fine
Backpackers don’t pay Fine’s neither do a lot of nomad’s from interstate.
Think outside the box not the typical Australian thing of charge em more or hit em with a fine that’ cost more to implement than you get back.
It’s mainly the Grey nomads that clean up after the Backpackers. Stop putting the Grey nomads down. They’ve paid for there freedom to travel in there retirement.
My wife and l have just bought a caravan last November and have stayed in several free campsites since Christmas.
I am ashamed of how people leave all there rubbish like glass, cans, broken chairs, toilet paper etc behind when they leave.
Fine the bastards!
Another example of those people who want everything for nothing. If the word “free” is placed in front of something, the Grey Nomads & Backpackers will gravitate like bees around a honey pot. Woeful mentality.
Not all free camping people are lowlife scums
I now favour the ‘community’ cared for sites and pay my 10 or 15 dollars a night 12 for seniors at lake bolac in vic with a friendly ranger and locals. Not stopped in many free sites because of the carelessness of the minority
More free camping required as in Tasmania brings tourists which in turn brings money to the towns in the region
We are finding it very difficult to pull up anywhere between Bendigo & Cooktown to find a Toilet block, O/night Camp or Truck stop which hasn’t been used by people who are not Toilet trained. The stinking mess some people leave is beyond me. As for where people empty their Toilets, there is plenty of places you can find where dumps are located. Even then, make sure when you do use a dump site, you wash the remains clean and leave it clean for the next user. There is always a hose next to the dump for that very purpose.
Check out the new Arrawarra rest area about 30klms north of Coffs Harbour.
Utilise Woolgoolga for all your necessities.
Has a Woolis but check this beautiful seaside village.
Take it from a local.
clamp their wheels and only remove when the fine is paid
Be warned don’t come to Tweed Shire they have nothing they do not want travellers of any kind unless they stay in resorts or overpriced camp grounds.
There no provision in the Shire to empty your toilets free
People who me travel and wish to free camp should accommodate for themselves. Buy a Porta potty and look after your health. By using free camp faculties you could catch anything. Most Grey hair Nomads do.
Put strong boom gates in where they have to pay as they entre. 5 dollars per night. Or have local volunteers take the money rego plates even for backpaers means we have their passport so as they leave they pay the fines or have their passport stamped convict.
We loved going to katoomba for a weekend and we stayed at bulls camp for an overnighter many many times till it was bollarded off. The blue mountains has done a dismal job for free camping and paid camping. The katoomba caravan park is very motorhome unfriendly , having very unlevel sites, and of course high prices and Blackheath caravan park ,while very nice was often full. When we had a smaller motorhome we often spent a night in megalong valley but its a nightmare drive …Considering the huge volume of visitors to the area and paid parking etc ,it could do more for the Caravan and Motorhomers. Not everyone is a day traveller , we used to be shiftworkers and would roll into bulls camp at 2 in the morning, try and get in a caravan park anywhere after 7 pm is a joke. And have you tried getting a parking spot for a Motorhome at any of the waterfalls and lookouts in the blue mountain area ? The truth is its situated right next to a city with millions of car visitors and simply doesnt need the smaller percentage of caravaners … just go somewhere else, plenty of small towns need tourist dollars …
When the GN comments and question response started people wrote in with good ideas with positive constructive comments that were benificial.
Today it seemes to have changed a lot and not for the better.
I read a lot of negative comments (some have used the word whinging) Comments like “I cant fit my rig into wherever” “I dont like this and I dont like that”
We all know most of that. We have all seen the rubbish, toilet paper, etc.
Did you really have an easy life ? Did everything go to plan or how you wanted it ?
Its not going to happen all good as you travel this big country.
I say get out there, as far away as you can if you are able to, see the forest for the trees, enjoy the beauty and the good people. Look predominately at the good things we have in life. Enjoy everything you can whilst you have the time and health to do it.
I take my hat off to a lady travelling in a modified caravan in the remote outback looking after and careing for her quadraplegic partner. I sat around the campfire thoroughly enjoying listening to their travel tales for hours. Not once did I hear a negative comment about anything.
That my friends taught me a lot.
Safe and positive travels. Cheers..!
Bull’s Camp was only ever an overnight stop. But thanks to social media all and sundry go there. This idea that these people bring in tourist dollars is false. The campers at Bull’s Camp stay there and don’t go anywhere else. They shop at local multi national owned supermarkets but won’t go to any tourist venue simply because they may have to pay and they don’t want to pay. Originally the shower at Bull’s Camp had a hand held shower head. That lasted two weeks before it was stolen. There is now no shower at Bull’s Camp. Campers use the hand basins as sinks to wash dishes and bit’s of food get caught in the drains and block up the sinks. They use the electric hand dryers as somewhere to dry their cloths thereby burning out the hand dryers. So much water was going into the septic tanks that they required emptying every 24hrs and why should the cost of all this freebie activity be paid for by the local ratepayers when the grey nomads and backpackers should be paying. Just because you’re retired doesn’t mean you’re entitled to a free ride at others expence.
Having lived in the Plue Mountains in the eighties. It is not the overuse of this camp ground which disturbs me. It is the fact in comparison to the Convict times. Australian Law today treats vile criminals, rapists, murderers and other types of vile offenders. So leniently it is no other than an insult to the many victims. The Anita Cobby killers, Ivan Malack, and so many more have been treated as like they are celebrities.
As an example I note the two rapists murderers of two sixteen year old girls, back around 1990. They were let of with a sixteen, and a thirteen year sentence respectively. These two genetic vile creatures have now been out in the community for years.
The law in Australia today is no other than a very successful growth business. A fact well highlighted in Queensland, and in many other parts of Australia. Where the perpetrators are repeatedly recycled back into the community. Where they seemingly almost immediately continue to commit further offences. In each case they are represented by a Public Defender.
The now long overdue question which must be asked. Is how much does the recycling of theses offenders. Actually cost the Tax Payer each year.
For the glaring disparity between, the contemptable treatment of the many Victims. And the many perpetrators. This nasty little backwater, Australia should be ashamed of itself.